Game systems having consoles capable of being coupled to external peripheral devices, such as hard disk drives for example, are susceptible to various problems. Different suppliers can provide the external devices and the game consoles. Thus, it is conceivable that the external devices may not be compatible with the consoles. One possible problem arising from this situation is that connecting an external device to a console could cause damage to the console and/or the external device. It is also possible, regardless if a given console and external device are compatible, that widespread use of this pair could give the perception of a poor quality system. Or, the use of one manufacturer's external devices with another manufacturer's game consoles, could give the impression that one of the manufacturer's products is of poor quality. This could lead to loss of revenue/profit for at least one of the manufacturers.
Thus, a game system capable of determining if an external peripheral device is authorized for utilization with a game console is desired.